'Shortcut' Movie Review

Shortcut is about a group of students: Nolan (Jack Kane), Reggie (Zak Sutcliffe), Bess (Sophie Jane Oliver), Karl (Zander Emlano), and Queenie (Molly Dew). They are all going on a field trip to watch a total solar eclipse. When a fallen tree blocks the road, they bus takes an alternate route through a backroad, only for a serial killer (David Keyes) to hijack their bus. But the serial killer becomes the least of their worries when they encounter a mysterious creature in a tunnel.

This is a very obviously low-budget movie. It’s budget was about €1.2 million, which is about $1.4 million in US currency. It was produced in Italy, but features mostly British actors (so yes, it is in English). I tend to be a bit more lenient when critiquing the production quality of lower-budgeted films, because I understand that they don’t necessarily have all the best tools and resources. Shortcut is mostly pretty fun. It’s not fabulous, per say, but it’s not half bad, especially given its shoestring budget. One of my favorite horror movies of all time (hell, one of my favorite movies of any genre) is Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, which was also famously made for a considerably low amount. Honestly, that's one of the great things about the horror genre. Even with a low budget, with enough creativity, one can get some great results.

One thing that does work in the film is the cast. While it isn't an actor-driven film, and they aren't exactly working with Tarantino dialogue, every performer rises to the occasion. All of the kids, despite having somewhat stock personalities, do feel like real kids, especially Zander Emlano's Karl. The main scene stealer here is David Keyes. He just absolutely kills it (pun intended). Over-the-top, scenery-chewing psychos are some of the most fun characters to watch and/or play, and you can tell Keyes is having a blast.

Easily the best part of the movie is the monster itself. The design is so cool, and they do a great job of using their effects budget to its fullest. Monster movies are beginning to make a bit of a comeback with both the revival of Godzilla and King Kong and the ever expanding universe of The Conjuring. I've really enjoyed this new creature feature revival, and it's cool to see other filmmakers take a stab at it.

As I said, the movie is not without some major drawbacks, and one of those is the pacing. Most of the second act is pretty dull. Some of it involves attempts to create budding romances between some of them, and that really didn't feel necessary. It just came off as a cynical move in order to supposedly add more depth (which it didn't). The film also tacks on a backstory for someone who had previously been fighting the creature, and this felt like it would have worked better if there wasn't quite as much focus on it. The ending of the film also features a voice-over monologue from one of the kids, much like the ending of It: Chapter 2. This was yet another decision that felt unnecessary and forced.

While Shortcut suffers from numerous clichés and pacing issues, it's also a valiant effort to create something fun and spooky out of a very limited budget. The design of the monster is creepy and unique, and the child actors all turn in fine performances. It's rough around the edges, but it's very simple and (mostly) pretty effective.

SCORE: 3.5/5